Bartosz+Roman+LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun//
 //View// the assignment page //for a more detailed explanation of this project.

In this exercise, you'll collect data from our database of interviews about fun and learning. Use this template and the data to create 5 generalizations for what you observed.//

My five generalizations.
I wanted to write about the entire group experience without going into the age of the experience. I chose to evaluate fun and engaging things which were close to my own LMF experience. After going through many videos and actually really enjoying a lot of them, I came up with the following questions.


 * What makes learning fun in a competitive environment?
 * What makes for a better learning experience? Competition or Cooperation
 * Is physical activity an important part of the learning experience?
 * What makes learning fun in a career environment?
 * What appeals to learners in a complete self control (attention) environment?

Of the 32 experiences with a high competitive story, 18 of them stated that the learning was fun yet challenging. [|Denise] experienced a spelling bee game in her high school class to study vocabulary words for the SAT, winning the bee was a prize. [|Shawn]’s competitive experience was flood prevention training, it was a very competitive and challenging survival scenario. [|Kamina] was cheerleading versus 500 girls in the cheerleading camp learning a dance in a short amount of time. “I was representing my school vs top schools, the added competition made it a lot of fun”. These criteria appeared more frequently in females (11 of 18).
 * 1)** **Challenging experiences thrive in a competitive environment.**

62 people had a high cooperative environment in their LMF experience compared to 32 people who were highly competitive. [|Al] signed up for a Tango class with his wife to learn how to dance. Of course Al was cooperative because it DOES take two to tango. [|Janice] would go on nature walks with her father and sister to learn more about the flowers, rocks and environment. In both cases, cooperation was a major part of the learning experience without fear of failure.
 * 2)** **Almost twice as many people are cooperative when learning or having fun rather than competitive.**

Of the 165 experiences on the LMF search, 106 people 64% (43 Medium and 63 High physical activity) were physically active while doing their LMF experience. In a very diverse and spread out group, I consider this a very high number. [|Diane] learned how to geo-cache, and then started to explore by going out and finding different geo caches. [|Kimberly] learned how to go out and surf when she won a surfboard in a raffle. She took a teacher lead lesson and then through self experience. In a slight margin 56 to 49, the female’s who were interviewed enjoyed a physically active experience.
 * 3)** **Physical activity is an important part of this groups learning experience.**

It’s not easy to associate a fun learning activity in a work/career environment. This shows true as only 23 stories out of 165 total entries were based in a career environment. However, 74% 17 of those 23 credited their fun in a work environment to a high teacher enthusiasm. [|Jack] credits the teacher in making the experiential learning exercise fun through physical activity and group involvement. [|Krista] participated in a “Jane Wayne Day” Bring your spouse to work day, full of Marine daily activities and scenarios to learn about her husband’s regiment along with other spouses. Whether it’s working with fellow co-workers or learning more about your spouse’s day at work, teacher enthusiasm and instruction is crucial making the experience more enjoyable.
 * 4)** **Work can be fun sometimes but enthusiasm is needed to keep it going.**

13 out of 17 people whose attention was 100% self controlled displayed a very concrete way of thinking/focus. If a teacher is absent the learner needs to be completely focused in their activity, a loss of interest or motivation can quickly ruin the experience. [|Barbara] taught herself how to cross country ski after two previous failed attempts. “I pulled it off, and it was actually very cool, it was a great experience”. [|Stacy] learned how to use Photoshop to put together a digital scrapbook. “A lot of this was just trial and error, I was interested in doing and it was personal and valuable in my life, so it was worth doing”.
 * 5)** **Learners teaching themselves need to stay focused.**

**Implication**
My analysis dealt with engaging elements of physical activity, environments and focus. The first two questions compared and contrasted environments. In a competitive environment the learner was challenged more with on the spot training or exercises. In contrast a cooperative learning experience dominated a competitive one. Looking at the examples in the first two questions, the experience intensity differs quite widely, from an intensive Coast Guard flood prevention survival scenario in comparison to a walk in the wilderness with family members learning about the environment. I think self paced cooperative fun and engaging learning is prevalent.

Learning by doing was also an important engaging learning activity for myself along with the many physically active interviewee's. Many of the people no matter what sex or age showed a interest in physically active learning. Sitting and listening to commands limits interest and tunes people out. To keep attention active, learners need to not only use their brain but their body as well.

My last two generalizations focused on the working world and how important team building and a great boss is to the work environment. Although a small amount of people actually wrote about a work experience, some did and they were really positive about the way their experience went. I wanted to analyze a self controlled environment and a work group because many people work along without motivation at work. The terms "I can't wait till Friday" and "Why is it only Monday" occur every week. Unless the worker is extremely focused and involved in their work, they are going to lose enthusiasm. Motivation and fun are needed to brighten up workers lives. Classes in sexual harassment or other training don't have to be boring, if the teacher is a fun leader. Building a happy and stress free work environment is very important, it provides a relaxed environment where workers can focus more of their attention on their work instead of dealing with additional work place stress.